To make using pedometer steps an ongoing part of your daily life refer to this article for hints and tips on How to Use a Pedometer.
In another post from last year I refer to my target as 8,000 -10,000 steps a day and heading hopefully for 15,000 daily pedometer steps.
Well the 10,000 daily steps (averaged weekly) has happened but I’ve changed direction slightly to add in more weights and aerobic sessions. When you start, anything extra you do is a step towards weight loss. As you move on it becomes a benefit to target specific types of exercise for body shaping etc. and to add to the steps, intensity or type of walking, running, cycling to contnue losing weight. Pedometer steps still works perfectly as a weight maintenance program. The key is that constant movement uses energy, keeps you toned and conditioned, and able to enjoy fully this wonderful life!
If you are starting a walking for weight loss program and have a pedometer put the additional walking off a day or two and just use the pedometer: set it up for stride length, wear it at the waist or even on your shoe, have a safety attachment, adjust for movement intensity.
Then do your normal daily activities with the pedometer steps counter in place for a few days. Write down the results and a few details about what you were doing that day. For instance did you walk to the train station, or walk the dog which is not normal for you? Did you deliver a bunch of mail around the office, or not deliver it, on this day? Were you tired and felt unwell?
Note how the different activities effect the pedometer steps result. Ask yourself if this was a normal day for you. If it is think of way you could add to the walking activity in simple ways. Think about the benefits of taking a long walk which would add around 6,000 steps an hour.
It seems to me that actually walking makes the pedometer steps target far easier but a busy active day will also do this. If you sit at a desk and are generally inactive just adding a few small walking exercises such as walking around th house every hour will add in small ways but these are effective additions at the beginning if you are normally sedentary. Under 5,000 steps a day is usually considered inactive.
As you approach the generally used 10,000 steps a day target if you are having a low pedometer steps day choose one of the many ways to add substantial numbers of steps such as walking or a gym aerobics class.
It is not necessary for you to find out your normal or baseline step activity when using a pedometer but it has some advantages:
your target of pedometer steps can be increased at a reasonable rate having added to your average number;
avoiding overdoing the exercise and making it comfortable to achieve increases your likelihood of continuing it;
you become more aware of the effects of low activity as your understanding of what qualifies as “active”;
it becomes easier to see where you have avoided taking steps and to add them back in.
